Lost in Transcription

It took me quite a bit of time to finish the next part of “Shedding Light” this morning, some of it to do with other work that demanded my attention, some of it to do with the massive rewrite to the section that I needed before I could feel remotely comfortable with the idea of posting it. While working on it, I’ve come to understand some of the problems I’ve had along the way.

For starters, I’m writing a prequel story, and I there are things I oughtn’t to include because they aren’t things the character knows about yet — ideas she hasn’t had yet, that sort of thing. Secondly, I’m trying to cram too much exposition in one story. I’m only halfway through the notebook rough, and reading it, it feels bloated with unnecessary, nitpicky details. Also, the characterization and description are flat and uninteresting.

I’m going to continue transcribing what I have in my notebook over the next week, and I’m going to continue revising as I go, for my own sanity’s sake. I’m creating a separate text document so I can eventually print out the finished project and then have at it with a red pen. Or maybe I’ll use a black pen — if the red is blood and pain, the black pen is misery and death, and there are some things in this story that really, really need to die.